Dawn of a New World
by Koros45
Summary: Shinji and Asuka realize that surviving a world with only themselves in it may be too much to bear – but it won't stop either one from trying. Shinji x Asuka, Post End of Evangelion. Sequel piece to World After Terror.


Koros45 doesn't own Neon Genesis Evangelion or End of Evangelion.

Dawn of a New World

"We can't go see NERV yet, Shinji." Asuka said. They'd both woken up right before sunrise and Shinji could tell Asuka hadn't slept very well. He felt the same way – waking up every few hours or so to confirm he was still alive and the person sleeping next to him was as well.

"What's the problem?" Shinji asked.

Asuka rolled over and pointed to the gauze over her eye. Now it was daybreak and Shinji could just barely see the bandages on the girl.

"I need to wash this. And my arm. I have no idea how badly I was hurt. It could be really serious." Asuka said with a tinge of worry in her voice.

She stood up and Shinji went to light a candle so they could see better.

He fished a match and a candle from Misato's closet, lighting the match after three tries with it.

He saw Asuka in the light, her face tired but also proud. Shadows flickered in the light and it was practically magical. He set the candle on the nearby table and Asuka walked to the bathroom.

"I need your eyes." Asuka said. Shinji grabbed another candle and made sure Asuka was further in the bathroom before lighting the next match. A hiss was heard as the flame bloomed and the scent of lavender flooded the room. A red light filled the room and Shinji saw Asuka sitting up in the bath, the dim light covering her with shadows.

"Can you see me from that far away?" Asuka asked him and Shinji frowned.

"No. I'll have to get closer."

He took a step and realized he'd stepped in her pile of clothes. He immediately stepped back and averted his gaze from her figure.

"What? Misato's water supply is limited, so we'd better use this sparingly. With all the power lines gone and whatnot, we'll need to use everything we can think of." Asuka said.

Shinji nodded. "Wash up and then I'll look at the injuries." Shinji said. "I'm going to try and find a flashlight."

He walked out of the room as he battled away thoughts of being that close with Asuka. Naked and intimate. The same kind of thoughts that led to his shameful masturbation in the hospital room when he was at one of his lowest points.

Looking for a flashlight didn't make those thoughts go away but it did give him a chance to clear his head. He found a flashlight after a few minutes of digging through the closet and then spent the next few minutes re-organizing Misato's things. A bad habit considering the circumstances.

Shinji switched on the flashlight and was pleased as it was far stronger than the candle.

/

Asuka washed in the bath and found that doing so with the now wet bandages was bothersome. The water was tepid and it made her feel uncomfortable. She supposed she should be glad Shinji thought about light to see the extent of her injuries. And he'd given her privacy when it came to washing herself. She had to stop and ask herself if he was running away from the prospect of being with her. But if that was the case, what was the reason? Was the idea of being that close with her really so terrifying? Or was it the shame of his earlier actions in the hospital while she was unconscious?

Was it truly running away, or was it holding himself back? She brushed the questions to the side and wondered what she'd do if she wound up being blind in one eye. That was certainly a terrifying thought to have. And her arm – would it work as a strong limb in function with her other? Or would it be reserved for the most basic of tasks? The thought of having disabilities was also new to Asuka – an an EVA pilot she expected to be banged up, but also expected NERV staff to immediately fix what was wrong.

Now NERV was gone. Leaving behind two emotionally scarred kids and a barren sea of orange.

Shinji returned and Asuka sat up, nitpicking with the wet gauze and bandage over her eye.

"Ok, close your eye and I'll look at it." Shinji said, his voice steady.

Asuka did so and suddenly saw a bright flash of light through both of her clenched eyelids.

"Now I'm going to remove the gauze. Stay still." Shinji said as the gauze and bandage around her head was removed.

Then she saw something out of the previously covered eye as Shinji opened it and looked at it.

"Asuka . . . , you look fine." Shinji said, looking surprised as he looked at her eye from a few angles.

"How? I was impaled! That can't be right." Asuka said, pulling a wet hand on Shinji's shoulder as she blinked with both eyes, vision stabilizing between both her eyes.

"Well – we both came out of the LCL, right? Maybe it healed us? Something about our own image of ourselves?" Shinji reasoned with a big smile on his face and Asuka removed her hand.

"Let's look at my arm then." Asuka said as she held it out for Shinji to remove the soggy bandages. It was as good as new – no scar tissue other than the impression the bandages had.

Asuka rotated it in the light and then gave herself a hug, closing both eyes for a moment.

"Thank goodness." She shook for a moment in joy and then looked up to the boy in front of her.

"Shinji, you need to wash up too." Asuka said and Shinji frowned.

"Not with you in there." He protested.

"Why not? Afraid of being this close after your last strike outs?" Asuka asked and immediately regretted it when she saw his face. Withdrawn and hurt.

"Hey." She moved and put a hand back on his shoulder. "I'm not done yet, Ikari."

Shinji still looked hurt but still stopped and Asuka continued. "Look. If you keep being afraid of what you did in the past, how are we ever supposed to be close? I don't want to be this vulnerable with you all the time. I'm just happy that I have my eyes and my arm. And that you're here for me right now. Again, we need to save water – we don't know how much Misato has left for the month."

Shinji nodded and Asuka scooted back, moving up her knees so that there was space in the tub.

"Now sit here with your back to me and wash up. Then we'll head out." Asuka said as though it was plain as day.

He stood and his clothes fell to the floor. Shinji quietly sat in front of her with his back to her. Unmoving. He wasn't going to wash up quickly at this rate.

He felt Asuka's hands grasp his scalp and apply shampoo to it as he spoke.

"I can't – I can't think of what to say next, Asuka." He said as he felt the shudders coming. Even as he tried to fight back the tears, he felt them come to him as he wept.

"Then don't say anything. We'll talk more when we're feeling better." Asuka answered.

They finished up washing and changed .Then Shinji hurried to throw out the expired food he'd found in Misato's fridge.

"You still want to go to NERV HQ?" Shinji asked and Asuka nodded. She ran outside with one of the flashlights and after a few minutes of searching found an abandoned bicycle. It wasn't ideal but it would work.

"Hold on tight. "Asuka said as Shinji gulped, wrapping both arms around the front of her waist as she began peddling as fast as she could. Without any traffic or obstacles in the cracked roads, it took them twenty-five minutes to arrive in front of the damaged NERV building.

"Well I guess we should be grateful for the fighting – there's holes in the plating so we don't need pass codes." Asuka said as she dismounted the bike and Shinji did the same. She propped it against a wall before grabbing his hand and led him through the damaged base.

It was trippy – the familiar base turned war zone had all the signs of struggle yet there were no bodies – only empty clothes on the ground in various places. Lights were still on – the emergency power still working despite everything else being dead.

Asuka found Misato's jacket near the hangar and grinned as she put it on, reaching in to the pocket and pulling out the woman's car keys.

"Bingo." Asuka said as she gave them a jingle.

There were enough perishable rations for Shinji and Asuka to raid. They found Misato's car, miraculously undamaged from the battle and filled it up with food and extra clothes scattered around NERV HQ – none of the people there would need them anymore. Strangely, Shinji didn't see anything that was Gendo's.

The next item on the list was a generator and they needed to be careful with that. NERV had backup power but neither the Second or Third Child was knowledgeable about that. Thankfully NERV's own systems were. Emergency power was automatically on and the base was operational enough for both Children to use it. A quick inventory search on one of the computers showed the pair what they'd need.

It was a generator half the size of a refrigerator, and both of them had to push it to Misato's car. A wheeled cart so that made the journey far easier. Asuka had some technical know how from her school days to connect it directly to Misato's place once they returned. It wasn't much, but lights and now a working fridge and air conditioning would go a long way.

They hooked it up and Shinji immediately got to cooking them food while Asuka hung up Misato's jacket in the woman's closet. In case she ever returned she might want it back.

/

"It's not much but I made us some hot dogs." Shinji said and Asuka nodded. He'd made six each and cut up some green peppers on the side. She was surprised at the speed and quality of the food considering he'd been cooking for about fifteen minutes.

"Thanks for being diverse." She joked, smothering hers' with mustard and taking a huge bite out of it.

Shinji smiled and began eating as well, drinking from one of the many bottled waters they'd stolen from NERV's base.

"We should raid a convenience store later. Now that we have electricity, we can think about comforts." Asuka said with a proud smile before she finished off her current hot dog.

"What about gas and water? Even with electricity, we'll need those to bathe and use the car." Shinji brought up.

"Well rent is non-existent now so I really have no idea about the water. But for the gas there's always a gas station or a specialty store." Asuka reasoned.

They finished eating and then both were tired. They brushed their teeth and then Asuka grabbed his hand like before and led him to her room. They fell asleep facing each other this time, lightly grasping each others' fingers.

/

Crying was something that Shinji knew well, but Asuka found it became a common ritual at night. She'd hold onto him and sob as her fears returned. Of how destructive both of them could be at their worst. And of how destructive the Third Impact had been for the both of them. Shinji would often do the same, his tears seemingly unending whenever he found himself at another low point.

Asuka sat up and turned on the light. Shinji wiped his eyes and sat up as well, turning to Asuka and spreading out his arms. She didn't need to be prompted as she embraced him, shoving him down on the bed so that she was on top of him. The world felt smaller when she buried her head between his neck and shoulder. And she could cry without shame in the dark.

When it was Shinji's turn to be on top, his sobs were like shudders, shaking her world lightly. Rocking a boat that already had holes in its base. Asuka held his face to her chest and had to appreciate her body as it was could accommodate Shinji's needs for closeness. She wrapped her arms tighter around him and tried to remember a song about finding love but it escaped her memory.

Eventually once they'd both cried their eyes out, they rolled over again so that they were on one side of the bed each, giving themselves enough space to hold hands while spreading out.

/

They woke up late in the night and talked about meaningless things. Old stories. Facts about their childhoods. Hopes they carried now. Enough to fall asleep again after enough time had passed.

Asuka woke up Shinji early enough so that they could stretch and then filled out a plan for today.

Kaji's watermelons were a surprise and Asuka was shocked at both Kaji's secret love and Shinji's insistence they eat one. They weren't ripe yet, so it would be something to check up on.

Then came getting food and supplies for Pen-Pen. The penguin was very self-sufficient when he had what he needed, and Shinji already knew what to get him after going shopping with Misato.

"We'll take Misato's car down to some stores and get what we can. We'll need to think in advance about what we get." Asuka said.

"Right. Expiration dates and all that. Stuff that lasts longest is the best, but also get some things that are still edible given the power outage." Shinji added. It was like they were planning a NERV tactic back at the HQ again. Only this time it was really something they had to plan themselves.

Asuka drove at very illegal speeds, but with few cars in the roads it wasn't a problem. Shinji winced as Asuka used a brick to break into a convenience store, looking around for supplies. They found the things they'd need for Pen-Pen at a pet store and Shinji decided to let what pets that might stand a chance free into the nearby woods.

Then they went to the orange ocean. Asuka had Shinji start the car and drive it, learning how to work the pedal and steering wheel as there was literally no traffic to worry about hitting or being hit by.

The ocean was the same as before, but now the orange hue shone from the light of the sun. It was a gorgeous sight against the blue skies, as though the sun itself had set inside of the ocean. But it was still the same as before. Rei – no – Lilith's face had submerged more, only part of the blue hair was now visible. It would most likely sink completely in the next few days.

"Rei." Shinji said as he got out of the car. Asuka walked next to him, grabbing his hand and squinted at the blue mass.

"Looks like she'll be able to sleep soon too, Shinji." Asuka said. Shinji was surprised at this – no digs at the First Child were needed. After all, she was gone.

The two of them sat down at the beach and listened to the crash of the orange waves for as long as they could. When the sun began to set, they started the car and drove back home.

"We're home." Asuka said as they unloaded the car. Pen-Pen squawked as Shinji got him some specialized feed.

Then they cooked. It was easy for Shinji to make things, but having Asuka around to chop up vegetables, monitor the timers, and keep him company sped it up.

Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs accompanied by a tray of fruit for variety. Asuka was touched that once again Shinji didn't just make something Japanese and once they finished eating, she put her hand on top of his and smiled at him.

"Hey Shinji, do you want to kiss?" She asked.

"Why?" Shinji asked even as she leaned in for a kiss.

"Because I'm-" Asuka started to say.

This time she found she didn't have to finish her answer as he pulled her close, one hand on her waist and the other behind her head as their lips met.


End file.
